The Story of Creation

In the beginning, there was only the abyss. No light. No life or death, only bleak gray stone stretching on.

For a time, there was nothing else, only the immeasurable emptiness. But from a pit of rock, in the deepest dark of the world, came the sounds of struggling. Breathing and panting echoed off the walls as the sound grew louder and more labored. These exhalations belonged to Eos, the first creator, and their purpose was to climb this pit. Their will forced them onwards, fueling their struggle up its sides. Their tenacity knew no bounds and they remained dauntless, even as their limbs threatened to give out. Finally, at the peak of their fervor, they crested the edge and dragged themselves onto the plateau above. Thus, Eos became the first to perceive. They had scaled the depths of the abyss, bringing purpose into the world and with it, force of will. However, as they peered into the darkness, they were greeted by the great nothingness that lay before them, and they began to sob. There was no one to share their world with. Nothing left to see, nothing left to do. They cried, and their tears fell onto the rocks below. More than anything, Eos wished for a partner. Someone to share their time with and in turn, give them an everlasting purpose. As their tears fell, their will grew and grew until, as sobs racked their body, a light shone from the depths. As Eos stared on, the light became brighter and brighter as it rose. Finally, as it settled before them, a small figure emerged. This was Ios, the second creator. And just as Eos was bestowed the gift of will, Ios was given the gift of life. They were everything their partner was not. While Eos was the heart of the world, giving purpose and strength, Ios was the light, seeding the cold rock with warmth and care. The two embraced. They loved each other very much, and as they held fast, the rock around them cracked and split apart, giving way to shoots of green and brown. Eventually, the two would make their way out of the darkness, bringing light to every corner of their world. 

For a time, they were happy. Eos would marvel at their partner’s creation and the world they had built. Ios would go about spreading life, each form more complex than the last. However, as Ios became more and more refined in their craft, Eos began to envy their partner. As Ios spread life and warmth, they could only watch on as the world grew without them. Their purpose paled in comparison to the beauty their partner could create and, in this void, where once was purpose, Eos would find jealousy. Eventually, Ios would bring about the first true race of beings. These were the Archons. They were strong in mind and spirit, patient and kind in their actions, and fresh from creation. They were Ios’s greatest feats. In their glee, they presented The Archons to their partner. This was their final mistake. Eos had grown cold and distant, staying away from their partner’s exploits. They no longer wished to see the world Ios had made, for it only hurt their pride. However, upon seeing such magnificent beings, gods in their own right, Eos could no longer hide their wounds. They lifted Ios over their head and delved back into the abyss. With a firm grip on their struggling partner, Eos came upon the pit from whence they had emerged so long ago. With both hands, they hurled Ios in, sending their body bouncing off the rocky walls of the crevasse.

 It was here that Ios would meet their end. Dashed upon the dull stone, life would fade from their eyes. However, before their final breath, Ios, who had been the light of the world, would find anger enough for their partner. Their rage and hatred for this betrayal knew no bounds and as they died, they damned their partner over and over, spawning the mightiest of curses. From Ios’s lips came spite, anger, hatred, grief, sorrow, and despair. This event would be forever remembered as the Advent of Sin, where the first creator had killed the second, beginning a cycle of hatred and spite that would continue for millennia. The final imprecations Ios had muttered would become Divine Souls, beings of sheer will, who would stop at nothing to silence the hand that had murdered their parent.

Thus, the creator’s tales would end for a while. Ios would lay dead at the very bottom of the world, and Eos would retreat back into the abyss, tormented by their partner’s curses and their own anguish and guilt. 

The Archonian Series 

The Archonian Series is a culmination of artifacts and writings recovered from the time of the Archons. These writings detail the history of the Archons and the fledgling race of man.

As the creators retreated from the world. The Archons would emerge as shepherds of life. Although they lacked Eos’s sheer force of will and Ios’s magnificent control over life, they shared the smallest bit of their parent’s might. Each Archon possessed a powerful will. If they put themselves to a task, it would be completed however difficult or lengthy. They also possessed the first form of magic: creation, a bit of Ios’s power wieldable by the lesser races. With both strength of will inherited from Eos, and gift of life inherited from Ios, the Archons would begin to create the first civilization. They spread throughout the world, helping along life wherever they could. Eventually, they settled, molding the earth beneath them into shelter from the elements. Many Archons together coaxed water from below into great rivers that flowed into the ocean. Together, they would set their will and their magic upon the fields surrounding their homes, creating fertile land that would yield bountiful harvests each year. 

Eventually, the lesser races would take notice of these actions. From the densest of forests and the darkest of caves, the fledgling race of man would emerge, enamored by the sheer power of the Archons. They would come slowly at first, taking from the fields and drinking from the rivers, but staying well away from the Archon’s dwellings. Eventually, they would come up to the great houses and kneel in awe of the beings before them. In this way, the Archons grew their first cities. From the earth came more dwellings. The Archons governed these cities, but not with might. Instead, they took the role of teachers. They guided the race of man. They taught peace and kindness, patience and fortitude, and most of all, a profound sense of thankfulness for the world around them, for it was not forged without sacrifice. 

This time of peace would not last for long. Eos spied the creations of their partner multiplying. From the depths, they returned, now taking a terrible form. With their return, darkness boiled out of the abyss, flooding the world with the same terrible curses, spoken so long ago from the bottom of the world. For the first time, everything alive would experience despair. Where there was happiness, so too was there sadness. Where there was love, so too was there hatred and scorn. Where there was forgiveness, so too was there jealousy and brooding. The Archons were no exception to this plague. They too felt rage and sorrow for the first time. They too would be laid low, floundering in the darkness for a way forwards that was once so clear. However, the Archons were strong, and although they continued to suffer, they saw their people in disarray and descended once more into their cities, ever patient, and carried the burden of their people’s grievances. They listened and consoled, restrained and reasoned with their subjects and in time, gave man a way forward. Although both the Archons and man had weathered this storm, it was only the first of many. The fact remained that Eos had returned, and with them, a will powerful enough to stand against the strongest of Ios’s creations. 

This marked the beginning of Taa Morsi Est, later translated from Archonian as The Long Death. The Archons called it this because they knew, even as Eos took their first step out of the abyss, that the battle had been lost. The Archons were strong, incredibly so in both will and might. But they paled in comparison to the first creator, they who had scaled the darkest depths of the abyss and given birth to the parent of all life. Now it was the same creator that stood before them, bent on destroying their cities and driving all their people to a dark and tortuous demise. Nevertheless, the Archons stood strong. They were the guardians of the lands left behind by Ios. They were the will of the world. They were the first race of beings, and they would dash their wills against Eos’s until they either triumphed or joined their parent. It was with this resolve that they began their defense. The Archons would join forces and mold their sprawling cities into fortresses. Great walls would split the earth, shooting upwards to encompass their people. Life changed for the inhabitants behind the walls. They were taught the story of the creators, how Eos had slain their partner in rage, and how they had returned to finish off the rest of them. They were schooled in the strength of one’s will and given lessons in the powers of creation. In this way, the race of man became stronger. 

Although the Archons were loath to impose upon their people’s lives, they decreed that each child able to talk was to be sent up to the Archons for tutelage. The Archons then constructed great temples of learning. Here, they would personally oversee the growth of the next generation. Those sent up to the temples were to be warriors. They would be raised to test their mettle against Eos, in an effort to hold back the will of the creator. Man would be trained in both body and mind, learning to move and think with purpose and in doing so, hone their will. It was this will that would aid them in surviving the creator’s rage. Those who excelled in these schools were named Iros Mura, or the Last Heroes. They were those closest to the Archons, those who held the strongest wills and hearts, who would aid their brethren as elder brothers and sisters. Once they were ready, these heroes would follow their teachers out of the cities. They would march until they met the tide of curses. Then they would kneel, and set their will against the creator’s. In this way, they would hold their ground, acting as a wall between the curses and the lands behind them. They would remain this way until every one of them died, or the curses were pushed back. Oftentimes, only the Archons would return. For most humans, these were suicide missions. They would hold on for as long as they could before falling to despair. 

Within the Archonian Series, there are tales of exemplary heroes who survived many battles with the creator. However, there is one name that appears the most within this section. Morn was born somewhere within the final decades of Taa Morsi Est. He was raised within one of the last great fortress cities and like most children, was sent to the temple at a young age. Morn excelled there. He was patient and endeavored to learn all he could from his teachers. His every movement and thought was filled with the strength of his purpose. His mind and body were honed to the greatest degree, for he understood better than most his role as a hero. Now, so late into The Long Death, there was no time left for failure. He had no choice but to believe with every fiber of his being that he, along with the rest of his kind, would emerge victorious against Eos. With this unwavering belief, Morn would survive more treks into the darkness than any hero before him. He would kneel with his brethren and, even as they died, he would hold the line with even greater resolve until the curses abated and he emerged victorious. Sadly, one hero, no matter how great, would not stop Eos. Eventually, Morn would watch his city fall. He would weather the storm with the Archons and drag as many as possible into the next fortress, forever fleeing from the tide of curses. But there were only so many safe havens left. Eventually, Morn would take part in the final battle of The Long Death. He would hold the line with each and every hero and Archon that remained. They would kneel and hold back the storm as the rest of humanity fled back into the caves of their origin, out of sight of the creator. It was on this line that Morn would finally succumb to the curses. He would be forced to watch as one by one, his teachers fell to despair. He would be forced to watch his brothers and sisters fall into gibbering madness before taking their last breath. Morn remained to hold the line longer than any other. However, as the last of the Archons perished before him, he too would finally break. He would fall to rage and spite, leaping from where he knelt to spit and seethe against the darkness, screaming curses and madness against the creator until his great form finally gave out. 

This marked the end of Iros Mura Morn. His fate was to die with the last of the Archons. But his will remained. So powerful was his rage against Eos, that he was deemed worthy of hosting the Divine Soul of Spite. This soul was one of the original curses Ios had muttered before breathing their last. This was the origin of Spite, one of the curses that had chased Eos back into the abyss so long ago. It resurrected Morn, for they shared a will and a purpose: to bring about a force strong enough to silence Eos once and for all. It was with this purpose that Morn would remain on the face of creation, undying, seeking a new order of heroes who could fulfill his purpose.